Improvement in tuck-creasing attachment for sewing-machines



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

H. W. FULLER, OF BROOKLYN, NEXV YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN TUCK-CREASING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 88,780, dated April 13, 1869.

To all whom fit may concern:

Be it known that I, H. W. FULLER, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings, State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Tuck-Oreasers for Sewing-Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this speciiication.

Previous to this invention, the cloth, while being acted on by the creasing devices, has been liable to be moved out of line with the gage by the operation of. creasing, resulting in a crease of irregular line and an uneven tuck.

The object of this invention is to prevent all such liability by introducing a new element in the nature of a vise or clamp, which is rst made to grasp the cloth and hold it tightly. Then the creasing device or devices are brought f into action and caused to do their work, and

afterward the clamp is released from the cloth to allow it to be moved forward preparatory to the next action of the creasing mechanism, and so on.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same.

In the annexed drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of the instrument. Fig. 2 shows the same as seen from the top. Fig. 3 is a modiiication of the clamp.

A represents a base-plate, to be attached to the bed of a sewing-machine in a iiXed position thereon, usually by the gage-screw ofthe sewing-machine. Arranged by the side ofthe base-plate A is another plate, B, which I term the bed-plate. This is firmly fastened at the back end to the connecting-plate C. (Shown in dotted lines.) In the connecting-plate is xed a-post, l, which passes np through a slot, 2, in the base-plate A, and carries a clampingnut, 3. In the top of the post, and made fast thereto, is the spring-lever L, carrying the upper creasing device or devices.

K is a compensating spring-arm made in one with the lever L. Said arm K receives the force of the needle-bar M of the sewingmachine, and transmits such force to the lever L, yielding to surplus motion of such needlebar. The spring-arm is passed through an,

opening in the top of the post l, and is secured therein by the screw 7.

The upper creasing device consists, chiefly, of a nipping point or nger, F. Immediately under it there is a thrust-plate, G, on which the material lies that is pinched up and creased, and which plate receives and resists the diagonal thrust of the nipping-finger E. Said plate is made fast to the front end of the plate B, audit is inclined at r, which inclination assists the nger E to take hold of the work, and also presents an edge, 5, to the under surface of a shoe, H. Said shoe and thrust-plate constitute the lower creasing devices, and between these the fabric is caused to pass along during the operation of tuckin g. .lhe edge of the shoe H is turned up at 6 to form a nippingface or jaw and receive the lateral force of the nippin g-n ger. E. Said shoe is fixed to the end of a flexible plate or smoother, I, and said smoother is firmly fastened to the connecting-` plate C.

K is a compensating spring-arm, made in one piece with the lever L. Said arm K receives the force of the needle-bar M of the sewing-machine, and transmits such force to the lever L, yielding to the surplus motion of such needle-bar. The spring-arm K is passed through an opening in the top of the post 1, and is secured thereto by a screw, 7.

From the above description it will be seen i that the upper and lower creasing devices are permanently connected to each other and with the base-plate, and are adjustable on the latter, while the fastening-screw P remains undisturbed. The base-plate is extended out forward of the fastening-screw F (shown in dotted lines) to the presser-foot of the sewingmachine, and attached to and arranged under or over this extension is a cross-bar, N, shaped so that it will rest at eachend in the bed-plate ofthe sewing-machine. Said bar, in connection with the foot 8 on the under side of the baseplate, forms a sort of tripod, and materially assists in holding the instrument firmly to the sewing-machine, and also serves to elevate the connecting-plate C off the sewing-machine, and leaves said plate free to be moved back and forth for adjustment of the creasing devices, while the base-plate is firmly fastened to the sewing-machine by the screw I), as aforesaid.

The cross-bar N also forms a gage to assist in guiding the edge of the tuck being sewed, and the base-plate, rea-chin g forward to the presser-foot, serves to hold down the edge of said tuck, whether it'be narrow or wide.

To facilitate the determination of distances in adjusting the instrument for different widths of tucks, the scale of divisions is marked on the fixed base-plate. To this scale the creasing devices are adjusted by a point, 4, on the smoother, reckoning from the back end ofthe scale, to determine the distance of the crease from the needle. rIhe gage or cross-bar N is adjusted from the front end of said scale to determine the width of the tuck being sewed, and both the gage and creasing devices are adjusted and fastened independently of each other and of the fastening-screw I), so that when once set for certain work the tucker may be taken oii the sewing-machine and replaced without displacing the relations of the parts as thus set.

O is a tie-piece, .that is attached to the arm K in such a manner as to form a slot to receive the needle and tie the arm K thereto, and yet leave the needle and its thread free to move back and forth in such slot, while the end of the needle bar or arm may slide over said arm K when in motion, the tie-piece remaining unmoved. The instrument is shown in Fig. l as if attached to a sewing-machine and in operation. rlhe Work being sewed is shown in red lines.

The tuck previously made naturally runs under the edge ofthe thrust-plate G, while the part being sewed by the sewing-machine runs along the side of the cross-bar or gage N. The part being creased passes over the thrustplate, and is held down across the edge thereof between it and the shoe H.

The creasing is done as follows: Then the needle-bar is caused to descend it pushes down the arm K, which acts on the lever L, carrying down the fingers E and F. Ihe finger F first presses on the shoe H and clamps the cloth against the edge 5 of the thrust-plate, holding it iirmly against any incidental motion. Immediately afterward the finger E takes hold of and gathers up the fabric lying on the thrust-plate, and forcing it against the upturned edge of the shoe H pinches it up, as shown dotted in red in Fig. 1, and thus the said edge serves as one of the pinching devices or jaws.

On the upward motion of the needle the lever L and its ngers lift up, the cloth is relieved of pressure, and is then advanced in the line of the seam about the length of astitch, when the above operation is repeated.

I sometimes dispense with the shoe and thrust-plate and use a plane surface to support the fabric, as shown in my previous patents. In such case the set-screw 7 gives place to a thumb-screw, (shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1,) which is then used for adjusting the springarm and lever in the post independently, while the post remains in a Xed position.

Vhat I claim as my invention, and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination of the nipping-finger and the inclined thrust-plate.

2. The combination of the nipping and presser iingers and the shoe H, or their equivalents.

3. The combination of the nipping-finger, presser finger, shoe, and thrust-plate.

4. The base-plate having the fixed scale of divisions, in combination with a tucking device and gage that are adjustable, respectively, from opposite ends of said scale, substantially as specified.

5. The combination, with the post l, of the lever and yielding arm, and as made adjustable thereto, for the purposes set forth.

6. The combination, with the arm K, of the slotted tie-piece O, as and for the purpose described.

H. YV. FULLER.

fi tnesses:

EARLE H. SMITH, XVM. H. JoHNsoN. 

